


On A Knife's Edge

by ISingTheSkyElectric



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blade of Marmora Keith (Voltron), M/M, Minor Allura/Lotor (Voltron), Slow Burn, oh god tags
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-04-03
Packaged: 2019-04-18 04:42:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14205306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ISingTheSkyElectric/pseuds/ISingTheSkyElectric
Summary: Keith knows that missions are important and dangerous. He was raised a Blade. This was his life.This mission's a new kind of danger.------"Kolivan, don't make me do this," Keith hisses.Kolivan narrows his yellow eyes. "Keith, this important. An alliance with a large kingdom in the Voltron Alliance will give us power and resources. Not to mention access to information that is difficult to get anywhere else.""I know that," Keith snaps. "But marriage? To the Emperor of Shirogane?"Thace huffs. "I would be grateful it wasn't to Lotor. I wouldn't want him in my marriage bed."Antok ducks his head to hide a grin.





	On A Knife's Edge

**Author's Note:**

> Few housekeeping things! This is a long slow-burn historical romance with some political/spy intrigue, so buckle up if that is your kinda thing. If it's not, back out right now. Tags and characters will be added as the story moves along because I'm still working out the kinks. There is no official chapter count right now, and I don't know when I'll get one. Posting schedule is gonna be a bit wonky, but I'll try to post every 1 to 2 weeks and I'll let ya'll know if I can't keep to that.

There’s someone in the forest.

Or more accurately, a large group of someone's. They’re not being particularly quiet as they crunch their way through the sparse trees high in the mountains. Keith glances over to Ilun and can read her thoughts even through the mask shielding her face. _Unusual and possibly dangerous_. Blades make no noise and any intruders usually try to mask their presence. This is something they need to be cautious about.

He gives her a nod and gives the signal to Regris and Vrek. Each one of them adds another layer to their cloaking spells and starts to move silently down the mountain towards the noisy group. Keith darts around stunted trees and twisted shrubs, making sure to place his feet where it won’t cause a rock cascade. He catches glimpses of Ilun on his right, flashes of her keeping up.

The four of them quickly make their way down the mountain side. The trees start growing taller and thicker, branches becoming fuller. Keith starts to watch his step; rock slides won’t be an issue anymore, but tripping over tree roots will.

They reach the intruders quickly. They pause behind trees until Ilun gives the signal to spread out and circle them. Keith darts right, ducking around the thicker pines. He catches glimpses of the group, humans and horses. He reaches the opposite side that they came down and stops, hidden behind a tree. Sucking in a quick breath, he twists and begins to climbs up a thick-trunked tree. Digging his fingers and toes into the cracks in the bark, he thanks the magic on his gloves and shoes that allow him to grip easier. High above the ground, he perches on a thick branch with dense needles and surveys the group of intruders.

There are six of them, all on horses. Keith pauses briefly to suppress a snort of dark amusement; horses will only hinder them if they go any higher on the mountain. Then his heart stops.

Leading the group is Lotor.

Emperor Lotor of the Galra Empire is unmistakable - the white hair, light purple skin, and yellow sclera could be any Galra, but the deep purple markings below is blue eyes are unforgettable. The orange accents on his riding armor scream danger like a venomous snake’s scales.

_Murderer_ , Keith wants to scream. He grips the branch below him to stop from reaching for the blade on his belt.

Instead, he forces himself to swallow the rising fury and tears his eyes away to assess the rest of the group. There’s a large man with an orange headband and a large war axe, a lanky archer in deep blue, a small girl with short hair and multiple hidden daggers, and a well-built man with a shock of white bangs and a large scar across the bridge of his nose. Riding next to Lotor is a lady in white and pink with a mane of silver hair flowing down her back.

Keith pauses. _Wait…_

He quickly takes stock of the group again. The lady with the silver hair is Queen Allura; it isn’t glamored and no one has that color naturally. That must mean....

Keith breaths a silent curse. _Voltron_.

If the famed warrior group is here, they’ve come for one thing. _They need to get back to Kolivan_.

Keith looks around, searching for Ilun. She has to have seen and made the same conclusion; they can’t confront the group with just the four of them.

He spots her hiding behind behind a thick pine and starts to inch back to the trunk of his tree. If he can climb down and get to her, they can collect Vrek and Regris and run to warn Kolivan. Just as he reaches the trunk, he sees her step out from her hiding place.

He silently lets out a long stream of the most impressive curses he can think of.

“Halt,” Ilun says to the group, settling into a strong wide-legged stance.

Lotor pulls back the reins on his horse, bringing the group to a stop.

“Uh, who is this?” the archer asks, peering around Queen Allura to catch a glimpse of Ilun.

“A Blade, I presume,” Lotor replies, then turns to address Ilun. “Greetings. I am Emperor Lotor of the Galra Empire and this is Queen-”

“I know who you are,” Ilun interrupts.

Lotor doesn’t pause at the interruption, just smoothly transitions. “We wish to speak with your leader. We are a diplomatic party and we do not wish you any harm.”

Ilun pauses for dramatic effect. “Your weapons say otherwise.”

Lotor nods. “A measure of protection, nothing more.”

“So you say,” Ilun replies. Keith sees her hand inch towards her blade on her belt and panics. As much as he’d like to sink his blade into Lotor’s throat, it isn’t a good idea. If they attack Voltron, it’ll be a bloodbath. He glances around and sees Regris and Vrek perched on branches with him. Regris catches his eye and shakes his head. Keith sucks in a breath, ignores Regris’ warning, and gives a quick bird call. I

lun pauses and raises her head slightly. Keith raises his hand and sketches out a “L” in the air, hoping she can see him through the foliage. She stares at him for a long moment, then slowly lowers her hand away from her blade. She eyes Lotor and the rest of Voltron for a long heartbeat, then says, “Very well. Follow me.” She turns and starts up the mountain. The man with the war axe makes a face at the archer and he just shrugs right back.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Queen Allura asks Lotor.

“We have no other option,” he replies, then snaps his reins and leads the group after Ilun.

Keith lets out a sigh of relief as the group disappears into the forest and inches his way down the tree. He lands silently on his feet. Regris and Vrek drop down immediately after him.

“Ilun’s gonna kill you,” Vrek hisses at him. “Going against her like that.”

“We wouldn’t have survived if we attacked them. That’s Voltron,” Keith replies, crossing his arms over his chest defensively.

“You don’t know that; that archer doesn’t do well in close quarters. If we got them off their horses, we could’ve had a chance beat them,” Regris points out, tail lashing.

“Lotor took down Zarkon alone,” Keith snarls, hands curling into fists. “We wouldn’t have stood a chance against them.”

“Well, we don’t know for sure if we would’ve beat them. That chance is gone now.” Vrek shakes his head. “We need to catch up to Ilun to escort them back. Keep quiet until we reach Leader.”

Keith swallows his retort and turns to melt into the forest, Regris and Vrek following.

* * *

 

They trail behind Ilun and the riders, keeping to the shadows of the forest until it turns too thin for them to stay hidden anymore. Keith slips the cloaking magic off his shoulders and emerges from the trees to come up alongside the group of riders.

“Shi-” The man with the white hair and scar startles when he notices Keith walking next to him, yanking his horse’s reins in shock. Keith grabs the reins to steady them: if the horse loses its footing here, the three of them would take a lethal tumble down the mountain.

“Woah!” Keith hears from farther up the line; another Blade must’ve appeared next to the archer.

“How many of you are there?” Keith catches Lotor asking Ilun.

“Enough,” Ilun answers, and puts an end to the conversation.

The man next to Keith keeps throwing furtive looks at him as they slowly hike their way up the mountain, and Keith keeps ignoring him. The group slowly falls into single file as the path gets progressively narrower. The horse next to Keith starts to breathe heavier and heavier in the thinning air, black pelt shining with sweat even in the cool temperature.

“What’s your name?” Keith startles, glancing up at the man riding the horse next to him. He gives Keith a friendly smile, white bangs shifting in the mountain breeze. Keith stares at him, because _what?_ before tearing his eyes away to face forward again.

_Ridiculous humans._

“My name’s Takashi, though everyone calls me Shiro. It’s kind of a weird nickname, but I’ve always had it. And this is my horse, Kuro.” Kuro snorts a white mist at the mention of his name. “He says hi.”

Keith resists the urge to stare at this weird man because Shiro can’t see the look he’s giving him behind the mask, and Keith can’t acknowledge him at all. He’s a Blade; Blades on a mission are as dispassionate as the weapons they carry.

Shiro opens his mouth to say something else, but is cut off when the group comes to a halt.

“What now?” the archer asks, leaning over to catch a glimpse of Ilun and the front.

“We need to blind you,” Ilun replies.

“What?” the man with the war axe panics, shout ringing around the mountain side. “No, nope. No way. I like seeing things, thank you very much.”

“Not permanently,” Ilun says. Keith can hear the edge of exasperation in her voice. “We’ll use magic to blindfold you and then lead the rest of the way.”

The man shakes his head. “I really want to see where we’re going. What if you lead us straight off the mountain?”

“If we wanted to kill you, we would’ve done it already,” Regris points out.

The man pales. “Oh. Thanks for that reassurance.”

“Relax guys. It’s just for the journey,” Shiro says.

The man sags in his saddle, defeated.

“I still don’t like this,” the girl with the glasses mutters.

Lotor pauses, emotions flitting across his face too fast to follow before he nods. “Do what you may.”

Keith curls magic in his palm, feeling it trickle up and down his spine, and flicks his fingers towards Shiro. Red smoke blurs in the air then curls across Shiro’s eyes. He sucks in a startled breath, blinking rapidly at the sudden darkness. Kuro shifts nervously next to Keith, feeling his rider’s alarm.

“Relax,” Keith murmurs to Shiro. A nervous rider will only lead to death on the narrow mountain path, and Keith’s far too close for comfort.

Shiro twists his head around at Keith’s voice, trying to locate him based on hearing alone. “How are we supposed to ride our horses like this?” he asks, gray eyes unfocused and too far to Keith’s right.

“We’ll lead them,” Keith answers, because it seems cruel to not to.

Shiro relaxes minutely in his saddle, unclenching his fingers from the reins and giving the air next to Keith a nod.

Keith moves forward in the line, inching along the edge of the path. Reaching the girl with glasses, he runs a hand across her horse’s flank to make sure it doesn’t startle at his presence. She whips her head around, hazel eyes narrowing at him.

“I don’t trust you,” she tells him firmly, wariness in every inch of her body.

Keith pauses, then shrugs and nods. _The feeling’s mutual._

She flattens her mouth in a thin line and rolls her eyes. “Let’s get this over with.” She twists around to face forward.

Keith calls his magic again and curls red wisps around her eyes. She gasps in surprise and then delight as her sight darkens. Her eyes widen, unseeing and sparkling with curiosity. “Is this a reverse cloaking spell? That’s so cool! It must have the same weaving as the original, but getting it to focus on another person? And the precision required to keep it to the eyes-”

The man with the war axe groans. “Pidge, can we talk about this later? I’d like to not be reminded how blind we all are.”

The girl, Pidge, deflates slightly. “Right, later. Sorry Hunk.”

Keith calls up another spell, weaving red sparks into a thick crimson rope that attaches itself to Kuro’s harness and the back of Pidge’s saddle, linking the two together. He scans the rest of the riders to see Regris’s dove gray and Vrek’s chocolate brown connecting the group in a line along the path. Ilun manifests a shining white rope and ties it to the harness of Lotor’s horse. She nods at Regris and Vrek, then turns to start leading them again.

Keith falls to the back of the group as Vrek starts heading back the way they came and Regris darts up the mountainside. Regris’ ability to climb nearly vertical will help get him to Kolivan faster and Vrek’s stamina will allow him to search behind for any followers.

They spend more of the climb in near silence, the horses’ and the large man’s ( _Hunk_ , Pidge called him) labored breathing the only sound over the crunch of rocks under their feet and hooves. Only scruffy grass spills out from between large rocks, any larger plants left far behind them. Keith has the fleeting thankfulness for the group intruding in midsummer; they wouldn’t have survived the winter snow.

“How much longer?” the archer whines.

“Almost there,” Queen Allura calls over her shoulder. T

he archer groans, leaning back in the saddle in protest. “Can we at least pause so I can stretch my legs?”

“We are currently standing on a ledge that is thinner than you,” Ilun shouts back. “If you want to fall off the mountain, be my guest.”

Keith swears he sees the archer pale and has to suppress his amusement. He and Ilun may not get along at the best of times, but her dry wit always makes him ferociously happy when it’s not aimed at him.

Hunk groans, leaning his head against his large horse’s neck. “Oh, I hate this. I hate this so much.”

A distant boom sounds across the mountain range. Keith snaps his head around and his heart stops in his chest.

“Ilun!” he calls back, staring wide-eyed at the rolling gray clouds rushing their way over the mountain range.

He hears the group at his back pause. A faraway strike of lightning hit the mountainside, cleaving the air in two and illuminating the heaving mass of clouds. Energy crackles over his skin.

“What was that?” Hunk asks, turning in his saddle, fear laced in his voice.

Shiro breaths in sharply, eyes wide and unseeing. “A storm.”

Hunk whines, horse shifting restlessly underneath him. “Oh, we’re gonna die. We are gonna be so dead.”

“Keith!” Ilun shouts from the front.

He twists around, ignoring the approaching storm. Pressing his fingers against his neck, he lets loose a curl of magic and whistles. The noise rings across the mountainside, aided by his spell. Every horse startles at the sudden noise, shuffling on the ledge as their riders twist the reins.

“Now!” Ilun snarls.

Keith drags magic down his arms to his fingertips, raising his hands towards the riders. He reaches out and feels the concealing spells wrapped around their eyes. His spells are the most familiar, woven in bright red by him, but he can identify Regris’ and Vrek’s. He winds his magic through the spells, hooking them together, then rips it away with twist of his wrists.

Each rider blinks at the sudden return of their vision. Hunk makes the mistake of glancing down and immediately panics, tugging his horse away from the cliff face.

“Hunk, calm down!” Pidge yells, her horse shying away from Hunk’s.

Keith lets out a string of curses under his breath. This is why the Blades never work with horses; panicked horses mean missteps, which means death.

“Hunk, we’re fine. We’re alright,” the archer reassures, twisting in his seat to face Hunk. “I know we’re really high up right now, but we’re safe. We’ll catch you if you fall.”

Hunk stares at him for a long heartbeat, breathing slowing to a normal rate. “Okay, I’m good. I’m alright. Thanks Lance,” he says faintly.

The archer, Lance, gives him a smile. “No problem, buddy. We’ll get to castle soon enough.”

Keith gives him a confused glance because _what castle?_ before deciding to ignore it. Not his problem. The most pressing situation is that the wind is starting to pick up and it could easily blow them off the cliff face if they don’t hurry.

Drawing his magic up his spine, he sends a small line of fire along the edge of the cliff they’re standing on. With a twist of his foot, he flattens the fire into the air, shifting it into a crimson shelf that extends from the cliff face and adds another foot to the width of the trail.

“Could’ve done that before,” he hears Lance mutter over the wind and Keith forces himself not to snap at him.

“Go!” he shouts to Ilun. She takes off in a dead sprint, leading the jogging horses along the widened trail. Keith follows close behind Kuro, adding more of the widened path as they travel along.

The rain starts quickly, drizzle turning into rushing downpour. The rocks rapidly become slick under his feet and he can hear the horses hooves’ start sliding along the path as they move. The heavy clouds block out the shining sun, darkening their route. Keith’s burning red ledge helps provides some sort of light for them to see by.

A sharp crack cuts through the sound of the thundering storm. Keith slides to a halt, heart hammering in his throat. _That sound isn’t good_.

He's about to shout a warning to Ilun when he sees thick cracks spidering their way across the path. Frantically, he pulls more magic up his spine, ignoring the sweat that's trickling underneath his suit. He's already starting to exhaust his magic with the constantly widening of the path and he can feel himself starting to reach his limit. He draws his magic to his fingertips, already weaving a supporting spell in the air.

His exhaustion makes him a second too slow as the path crumbles under his feet.

His heart leaps into his throat as the rocks beneath him start to slide down the cliff, the rain loosening their grip on the rest of the mountain. Keith frantically backpedals away from the falling rock, throwing himself backwards in hopes of reaching solid ground. He can feel gravity start to drag at him. Twisting, he scrambles back along the path, fingers scrabbling against the ground in hopes of finding purchase.

His hand catches on a large rock that doesn't collapse under his weight. Keith gratefully pulls himself onto solid ground, feet sliding in the wet and lungs burning in his chest. Shakily, he stands, heart throwing itself against his ribs and knees still unsteady with the adrenaline.

Keith's faced death before, but never at the hands of nature.

He only has time to take a wobbly breath, staring as the widening gap in the path, before his heart stops again.

The path is still crumbling, reaching its fingers towards the rest of the group. Keith can only stare as the cracks reach Shiro and his horse. He sees the moment the rock under Kuro's back foot slides and Kuro realizes there's nothing stopping gravity from pulling him down. The horse throws his head back, panic ripping the reins from Shiro's hand. Shiro twists around, surprise in every line of his body he searches for the cause of his horse's reaction. Panic whitens his face when he realizes the exact situation he's in. Shiro's eyes connect with his, wide with fear and shock, as the rock collapses under them and horse and rider fall down the cliff.

"SHIRO!" Keith hears Pidge scream, but he immediately ignores it. He twists his wrists, raising his arms to the falling horse and rider. Sucking in a deep breath, he rapidly pulls up the reserves of his magic and triggers the rapidly crafted spell.

The shockwave of his magic echoes over the mountainside, drowning out the thunder with a boom that makes his ears ring. Deep red fire rips itself from his arms and twists through the air towards Kuro and Shiro, wrapping them in a blanket of maroon smoke even as they fall. Curling his fingers, he pulls against gravity, muscles screaming with every effort. Slowly, horse and rider come to a halt in the air, suspended in a web of Keith's magic.

Keith takes another deep breath and slowly raises his arms, lifting the two back to the path. It's slow going; he's breathing like he's running a race, a full layer of sweat between his skin and his suit. But Shiro and Kuro rise through the air. When they reach the path, Kuro pauses before stepping onto the rock trail, uncertain if the path will hold under him. Keith finally drops his spell, body aching with the heavy use of magic.

Shiro twists around in his seat, staring at Keith with a pale face and wide eyes. He works his mouth for a few seconds before finally saying, "Thank you."

Keith just gives him a nod, too exhausted to try and make any effort. He's cold, exhausted, and stuck in the middle of the storm. He's almost regretting stopping Ilun from attacking the group.

Shiro twists his wrist and thick black mist raises itself from his arm to weave through the air, lowering itself the gap in the path. It pauses for a second, swirling in the wind, before condensing into a shining black pathway, bridging the gap and allowing Keith to cross without effort.

Keith has a fleeting thought that the magic is pretty before he ignores it in favor of trudging across the bridge. When he reaches the group again, Shiro offers him a hand, palm up.

Keith stares at it, not really registering the offer.

"I'll give you a ride," Shiro says when the silence stretches on too long.

Keith looks at the hand, and then his face before he makes up his mind. He's too tired to try and keep his dignity at this point. Stepping onto the widened path that's burning a deep burgundy due to his low magic reserves, Keith takes Shiro's hand and vaults into the saddle behind him.

He's uncomfortably close to Shiro, his back a long line of heat pressed against his front even through the cold rain and riding armor. Keith grips the back of the saddle to avoid getting too close.

"We're ready!" Shiro calls to the front of the group.

They start moving again, albeitly at a slower pace than before. Keith breathes a heavy sigh of relief at the fact that they're almost to the base.

Keith stubbornly keeps the widened path going for as long as possible, shaking with the effort. He's running on empty with his magic, but he's not about to ask Ilun or any of the riders to take over the job. Keith swears he sees black smoke drifting off Shiro's body to mix with the widened path, but at this point he's not sure if it's just exhausted hallucinations.

They ride for a few minutes more, rain pounding against them.

"How much longer?" he hears Queen Allura shout in between the roars of thunder.

Ilun doesn't reply, only leads them into a narrow crack in the rock.

Inside, the crack widens into a smooth tunnel. Wind and rain still beat down outside, but the tunnel protects them from the effects. There's a crackle of magic as multiple faerie lights burst to life around them, illuminating the smooth rock wall with burning white. Keith sways in his seat as Kuro shakes the rainwater off his pelt. Hoofbeats echo off the walls as Ilun leads them down the tunnel, faerie lights floating beside them.

Soon, the tunnel ends in a stretch of wall. They come to a pause in front of it and Keith can feel Shiro's confusion in every line of his body.

"This is it?" Lance snaps, throwing his hands into the air, frustration etched into his face. "We were blindfolded, rode on a cliff in a storm, and Shiro almost died! Just to come to a stupid end in a stupid tunnel?"

“Lance, please,” Queen Allura says. He can see exhaustion fraying her royal persona.

Keith says nothing as Ilun approaches the rock face. She runs her fingers along the face, white sparks trailing in their path, before she pauses. Stepping back, she pulls her blade from her belt and plunges it into the rock. Nothing happens.

Lance huffs. “And-”

He cuts himself off in surprise as white light starts spreading out in cracks from where the blade sunk into the rock. The glow climbs up the rock face, twisting and curving in thin lines. The riders stare in shock as it solidifies into a symbol Keith has known his entire life. A large stylized knife shines in bright white, illuminating the space for a heartbeat before fading back into solid rock.

Ilun withdraws her blade and sheathes it again before pressing a hand to the wall and pushing. It slowly splits in two, swinging back like giant doors.

"Stupid end in a stupid tunnel, it seems," Keith says, unable to keep quiet in his pride.

Ilun gives him a glare from under her mask and turns back to the riders. "Welcome to Marmora."

**Author's Note:**

> I have a [tumblr!](isingtheskyelectric.tumblr.com)


End file.
